Welcome to my blog for reviewing the best Mexican restaurants and food in Orange County, CA. I intend to cover as many as I can . . . and all sorts and price ranges: "From taco trucks to fine dining . . . and everything inbetween." Newer entries tend to focus on photos more than words. Number of restaurants covered so far: 268+. See The List

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

For 44 years Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant
has had the perfect recipe for the ultimate Cinco de Mayo party: delicious
Mexican food, ice cold fresh margaritas, music, and friendly staff all
in a festive environment. This year the celebration will last the
entire day with Taco, Beer and Margarita specials throughout the entire
restaurant from open – 10pm. Grab your sombrero and join Mi Casa for “Fiesta Like There’s No Mañana” - the most festive Cinco De Mayo celebration in Orange County!

Cinco De Mayo Specials (open – 10pm)

Tacos

·$4 Crispy Chicken & Beef

·$5 Grilled Mahi

Beers

·$3 XX Amber

·$6 XX Amber w/ Dobel Tequila Shot

Margaritas

·$4 House

·$5 Cadillac

·$6 Skinny

·$7 Dobel Diamante

About Mi Casa

Mi
Casa is a third generation family owned restaurant with 2 locations in
Orange County; Costa Mesa and Rancho Santa Margarita. In addition to
serving the finest authentic home-style Sonoran Mexican food, Mi Casa
offers an extensive tequila list along with hand crafted and muddled
margarita menu. Now serving over 50 tequilas, Mi Casa is the best
Mexican Food – Tequila bar around. Inside you will find a mix of old and
new with old world wood and brick combined with bright colors, and the
perfect atmosphere that will keep you coming back again and again!

[Silverado, CA] – Back by popular demand, the award winning Brew Ha Ha Productions is proud to present their 2ndAnnual Sabroso Craft Beer & Taco Festival on Saturday, May 2nd from 12 pm – 4 pm.
This year the event will feature unlimited tastings from over 90 craft
beer selections, 32+ gourmet tacos from 17 top chefs for only $3 each,
live music from the OC Music Award Nominee, the Wheeland Brothers, and of course… Sabroso’s now famous Lucha Libre matches.

Sabroso,
which means “Tasty,” is the perfect event for friends to enjoy a
classic combination of great craft beer, unbelievably good gourmet food
and more FUN than you can imagine. In addition to the tradition of
having a respected panel of judges picking the top “Best in Show” awards
for the tacos, this year Guests will be able to participate in the NEW
“Peoples’ Choice” voting to select the crowd favorites. This year’s
distinguished panel of professional judges includes: Rich Manning, food writer for the well-known restaurant review site, Gayot and more, Jessica Rice, author of Beer and Baking,“Dr. Bill” Sysak, Craft Beer Ambassador for Stone Brewing Co.

In
addition to the unprecedented gourmet taco offerings Sabroso will
feature many one off and limited release beers such as Bottle Logic
Brewing’s Tequila Barrel Aged, Mole Stout: Leche Borracho, Taps Fish House & Brewing’s Russian Imperial Stout aged in Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrels:Remy’s Pappy as well as some exciting cask ales from breweries like The Good Beer Company and Saint Archer.

A
portion of the proceeds from Sabroso will benefit the Mental Health
Association of OC. This critical resource for OC is celebrating over 50 yearsof excellence in
services. It is dedicated to improving the quality of life of OC’s
residents impacted by mental illness both directly and indirectly. Over
92% of their funds go directly to serving over 16,000 OC residents each
year. http://www.mhaoc.org/

Festival
tickets are $55 online in advance. If the event does not sell out,
tickets will be available at the door for $65. Designated driver tickets
are available with purchase of a regular festival ticket. Tickets for
Sabroso Craft Beer & Taco Festival are now on-sale at http://www.sabrosotacofest.com/.

Costa
Mesa, California, April 7, 2015 – La Vida Cantina will be the place to
be on Tuesday, May 5, with an all-day Cinco de Mayo celebration that
will include specially priced margaritas, beer, tequila and tacos. Live
guitar and vocals will add to the fun with Freddy Zuma from 4 to 7 pm,
and Victor and Jose from 7:30 to 10:30 pm.

Other
featured drinks specials will include: Casa Noble 5 on 5 (five Coronas
and five shots of Casa Noble) for $40 from 11 am to 6 pm, and Sauza
Hornitos 5 on 5 (five dos Equis lager beer and five shots of Sauza
Hornitos) for $40 from 6 pm until close. Throughout the day, patrons can
enjoy Milagro Miracle shots for $4, Pineapple Jalapeno Margaritas with
Milagro Tequila for $10, and a Miracle Margarita by Milargo Tequila for
$6.

La
Vida Cantina is an inviting restaurant with a spacious and lively
patio. Located in the heart of Orange County at The Triangle in Costa
Mesa, La Vida has the feel of a Mexican coastal resort with a large
pentagon-shaped bar, ample lounge seating to relax and mingle, and five
fire pits, all under two large palapas. The interior bar and dining room
feature beautiful dark wood, warm lighting and contemporary Mexican
murals.

La Vida Cantina is open for dinner Monday through Friday at 4 pm, lunch on Friday and Saturday at

11
am, and Sunday brunch at 9 am. Happy Hour is offered Monday through
Friday from 4 to 6:30 pm, and a Late Night Happy Hour is available
Thursday through Saturday, from 11 pm until 2 am.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Winner Announcement

April 29, 2015: We have a winner! The drawing was held today (basically me putting all the entrants names on little slips of paper and one of my brothers pulling one blindly out of a bowl) and Raymond H. of Tennessee was the lucky winner. Congratulations to Lauren; your prize package from Del Real Foods is on its way.

It's time for another contest. Del Real Foods recently sent me a package of some of their stuff to try and they have agreed to send a gift package to the lucky winner of this contest. This package has a picnic theme and will include their cool new Al Pastor Taco Kit. To enter, simply e-mail reviews@ocmexfood.com with the subject line "Del Real Foods Giveaway #3". You have until April 28th to enter. On April 29th I will draw the lucky winner and notify them by e-mail. If you are the winner you can then give me your mailing address which I will have Del Real send the prize package to.
Here's my Del Real Foods slideshow (click here if it doesn't show up in your browser):

About Del Real Foods:

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in California, Del Real Foods is a family business committed to preserving the rich gastronomy and traditions of Central Mexico. Designed to satisfy all palates and promote healthy eating, Del Real Foods refrigerated products offer authentic taste, using the freshest, locally sourced ingredients and cooked with traditional methods for an enhanced dining experience among family and friends.
Del Real Foods refrigerated products include carnitas, barbacoa, tamales, seasoned shredded beef, shredded chicken and more.
Del Real Foods products are based on the following pillars:

Authenticity: the family strives to create deliciously simple products based on traditional recipes infused with Mexican culture and bold colors. Prepared in an industrial, home kitchen, the products will provide comfort and familiarity.

Healthy People: cooked with a safe open-kettle method, the products are made with the freshest, ingredients, most of which are locally sourced. Once prepared, they are ready to enjoy. The products are also gluten free and do not contain any trans fats.

Healthy planet and better communities: the company has adopted sustainable initiatives including wastewater management and recycling to help the environment. Del Real Foods has also sponsored local sporting events and made donations to local communities to contribute to their improvement.

Tuesday, April 07, 2015

(This is an "only-photos-first" post, done quickly to get photos up and a new entry on the blog, with the expectation that text may be added later. Guest reviews can also be added to this entry and each published one will be paid $10.)